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I took my iPhone and a remote battery back up that was good for 3 charges. I downloaded a book and some movies to it the day before surgery. I didn't want any visitors. I just wanted to get in there and get home and heal up. It was unreal how often nurses, surgeon, hospital staff members and such were in and out of my room. The meds from surgery had me sleepy, yet every few minutes here came someone else in my room. Take some comfortable shoes like Crocs or something that you can slip on/off with ease. You'll be glad you have them while you are walking laps every couple hours.

Absolutely. Clearly you are in a new phase now and need calories to maintain. Can't be going around starving. I get it. Looking forward to reaching that point some day down the road, too.

Surgery was at 9:00am. I was released the next day around 4:30pm. No complaints and no complications. Very smooth and easy process this whole time. Only regret was not doing this sooner.

Just a regular dose.....such as a the standard pre-mix shakes (11 oz size, I think?) or the normal serving size of the powder, Water & ice in a shaker bottle. I'll often make one with more ice than normal.....leave it in my car and sip on it after walking out of the gym. If you are weight training and want to cut down on the muscle soreness.....look for a low carb BCAA powder that mixes well with water and sip on that during your workout. Some of them taste great and really do help.

Same here on the no gas pains. I suppose it's common for air/gas to remain trapped in the body as they are puffing in there during surgery to better see and create space to work. I was very fortunate not to experience this. I have no idea why there'd be actual flatulence. Never had that, either. Maybe it's the meds that are used ?

Long term shifter here, too. My normal shift runs from 6:45-7:15 and rotates between days & nights. 3 & 4 shifts consecutive with days off in between. In a 28 day cycle I work 14 days. I actually work the regular shift plus another 60-90 mins daily and work on some of the scheduled days off, too. I let my shift schedule be part of my weight problem for a long, long time. Fast food on the way to & from work and fried garbage from our cafeteria in between. It's a miracle that I didn't die from that lifestyle. Now.....my shift schedule is actually a strong part of my weight loss......an asset, even. I get up at 4:00am and enjoy an hour of coffee and sports center & news. Shower and hit the road and drink 30 oz of Water on the way. Breakfast is at my desk around 7:45. Tuna, chicken breast, steak or similar. First dose of Vitamins, too. lunch is usually around 1:00 when I'm back at my desk and preparing for a mid-shift meeting. dinner is where I've made changes.....used to wait until I got home.....now I eat at work. Each of the meals finds me taking in 20-30 grams of Protein, low carbs and possibly some fat. I am fortunate to have a job that allows me to walk around quite a bit. This is much needed. Staying in motion helps my worn out knees and keeps my back loose. As I'm walking around my job site, I carry along a water bottle and refill it as needed. I take in a minimum of 120 oz water every day. My current problem is that I don't rest enough on work days.......or days off for that matter. This needs to change as I can feel my back acting up recently. I don't want to regress with it. I typically go to an awesome gym 2 miles from my house on days off. Work days find me in the gym at work (right beside the cafeteria that I no longer visit) getting in a quick high rep count session.

BEAST mode, bro !!!!!!!!

What is a pouch ?

@@Elode you are rocking the results and looking wonderful. Absolutely rocking it !!! Well done, lady, very well done. Enjoy that candy. @@VSGAnn2014 that is too funny.

That is what it's all about right there !!!!!!

Very happy for you and proud of you. Outstanding results. Your story is very similar to my own. I get it. Feeling good is a powerful motivator for me to keep pushing and take it all the way. Congrats !!!!

I will not even begin to attempt to address the ways in which insurance companies can aggravate you to no end. My only advice regarding them is to contact the bariatric administrator employed by your insurance company.....review your case in detail with them and make sure that YOU are driving that bus. Don't assume your surgeon's staff has everything laid out for you. My only other pieces of advice are to relax and to begin losing today....don't wait until the surgery to lose weight.....begin getting it off right away. The goal is to lose weight.....not to wait around, right ? I promise you that the discipline you demonstrate now will be rewarded and will pave the way to very good initial results when you have your surgery.

I was just a couple cases of beer and a few pizzas away from hitting the 500 lb mark, bro. Shooting for 250 as a level daily weight. Surgery was less than 4 months ago and I'm well over halfway there. I know it's going to slow down a bit....but I'm thinking that the two year mark you stated is well within the realm of reality.

You and your white belly are still on my bad list, but I'll tell you that, if they don't have Starbucks, you'll know you're in no part of the world. No Starbucks will have to be my first sign that I've left the world as I know it. The different language should be my first indication.....but, just being honest here.....I don't do the English language justice on my even my best days....much less after rum and tequila........

Are you really going to leave it there? Do you always pitch and then turn away before seeing whether the pitch has been caught? Where are you going?!!! I'm no dentist, but.... Can't say. Won't say. I'm sorta in Her Majesty's Secret Service type of thing.......I could tell ya....but then I'd sworn to uphold the code.........007 stuff. Suffice to say it's gonna be a destination of sun, fun, Water, rum drinks and tequila shots while watching scantily clad beauty parade around and laugh at the pale big guy in the boots 'n swim trunks tipping his hat. Those boots and that cowboy hat may be the only possessions I retain as I may decide to never come back. Who needs or wants the pressures of a job.....and the day to day drama? Not me. I pity the fool who gets in my way. Boots, hat and a handful of Protein bars and I'm out. Lawd.....I hope they either have Starbucks or Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in that part of the world...............gotta maintain my addictions.

Ah......getaway travel nightmares. I'll say this......It's all worth it once you get there on some vacations. I've got a leisure trip planned that would have me chewing through a chain link fence to get to.......bust through a rock wall and crush skulls to arrive at. In the words of the awesome Mr. T....."I pity the fool who try ta stop me....I'll bring them pain ".

Why would someone want to do this ? The loss/gain is what it is. Cheating the number by a pound or two on monthly weigh-ins won't help you.

I used to dread it.....but a friend really put things into perspective for me. Now.....not a worry. Gonna get the weight off and then address the excess skin with whatever plastics are needed and move on in life.

You can control yourself. In fact, you are the only one who can do so......and the most fundamental task is deciding what goes in your mouth. This deal is all about learning the right habits at the beginning stages when hunger isn't a part of it. Discipline established now is key to future progress.

Great news. Thanks. They really do make some excellent products. The Protein, low carb and high fiber content of the bars is a perfect meal for my desk drawer at work.

Oh yeah. I can better understand how it can happen now. I was in the local mall yesterday and saw a shirt that I had to have. I spent way more on it than I can remember ever doing before on a shirt.......knowing that it'll be too small in a short timeframe. Didn't even give it a second thought after trying it on.....straight to the cash register. This coming from a guy who has always hated shopping.

3.5 months out here: My surgeon has emphasized that my meals should be 1/2 cup in volume. Steak, chicken and fish are what he quotes as my best choices.

LOL. When I first read it I was simply not connecting the dots, either. But......I have accepted there are all sorts of strange things at play during this time frame for many of us. One thing that I've been hugely frustrated with is that I've had the critical eye on myself for so long that it now tends to focus on conditions around me or even worse, other people. For example......I've been making progress on myself and perhaps eased up a bit. Now I looked around and see the state of my garage and it pisses me off. HTF did it get so disorganized ? Who is the idiot who hasn't been putting stuff away properly ? Who is the fool with fat-man clothes still hanging in his closet and needs to be gone through? Why is that aggravating tree limb hanging down over the deck ? Well, that is the result of being not focused on stuff around me like I needed to....and not having the energy to address it due to back problems and recovering from the sleeve/hernia surgery while working 60 hrs / week. Stuff just gets a low priority or neglected altogether. I look around further still and see things that my wife doesn't do an it gets to me. I get aggravated. I accepted blame for it for a while due to me simply not being myself this last year or so and all things subpar are on me. Eventually, though, I shared my marital concerns with her. Not well received at first but I was respectful yet honest with what was said. Time will tell how things turn out. Time will tell. It will either work out.....or it will not. I will continue to give it my best shot, but I will not blindly hope for a miracle as I've done in the past. This seems like legit advice now that I've gone a few months down this road. I better understand the wisdom of this practice. Its a time to simply work on yourself and DO NOT make any changes. Divorce and career change have been tugging on me......tempting me more than I ever suspected. Married 23 years, same employer for 20......yet now I find myself open to big changes. Scary. Not acting immediately on either.....letting these ideas simmer. Nooooooooo !!!!!! No matter how mad I get......my MacBook will never become a projectile. Neva......eva.... Maybe we should all be prescribed medical weed or some such. Sure would up the attendance in the post-op support group meetings. "Okay now, everyone get their chairs in a circle.....puff, puff, pass........let's begin our meeting with recognizing new members after our opening blaze....." I really get that "Not my circus, not my clowns" statement. Well said. My patience as it pertains to myself is very, very limited. I want immediate progress in all areas of self. Unrealistic as hell and a source of frustration. Thus far, my patience for others is somewhat "normal" dare I use such a phrase. How's this for a oddball fantasy.......we all get to go live in a resort area for our surgery throughout our first year.....surrounded by other patients going through the exact same thing......no outside distractions....no worries.....just focused on the losing and getting our issues nailed down tight. Lol, right? Well, in reality we do have BP and the fine folks here. I agree fully with your statement that we are all family in a way.

Exercise is a big one. It helps to keep stress levels down and watching the calories that you burn on a treadmill, for example....really is a great reminder as to how hard it is to burn off those candy bars and extra beers. This Bariatric Pal community is another big one. There is so much insight, support and understanding expressed by the members here.

Sure have. It's easy to do. I had some beef Jerky early this morning.....240 calories & 36 grams of Protein. I've been running around and hadn't had a chance to get back to where my tuna is and there's nothing but a junk food vending machine anywhere near me (at work at the moment). I'll just grab a shake later when I get home. That'll get me up over 60+ grams protein for the day. I'll do better tomorrow.